This invention relates to a method and apparatus which assists in training a woodwind musical instrument player. The application of the apparatus includes musical instruments requiring a reed. Such instruments are those of the clarinet, saxophone, oboe, and bassoon families. Instruments of the brass family, which do not require a reed, are excluded. This technique also finds productive application in characterizing and quantifying the vibration and tonal qualities of reeds, ligatures, mouthpieces, and instruments.
In such woodwind instruments, the player must place his lip or lips directly against the reed in order to produce a sound. The amount of lip pressure is an essential factor in the production of tone, timbre, and intonation. Too much or too little pressure will result in inferior quality. Consequently, woodwind players spend years developing the proper feel on a trial-and-error basis. Accordingly, the question is how much pressure is required to achieve proper tone, timbre, and intonation. This is something that can be discussed by a music teacher with a beginner but is not easily transferred. As an example, most beginning clarinetists do not apply enough lip pressure to the reed therefore resulting in inferior sound and pitch. The beginning student develops improper playing habits because of a misunderstanding related to lip pressure. Much of a beginners success depends on how quickly this "feel" is developed. Unfortunately, there has been no systematic method for measuring lip pressure on a reed. Moreover, construction and design of mouthpieces, ligatures, and reeds primarily has been relegated to a trail-and-error basis according to a desired aural response or outcome. Manufactures have found no standardized means to isolate and quantify the vibration and tonal qualities of reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces. Consequently, the average clarinetists or saxophonists, for example, spends considerable time and money testing different reeds, ligatures, and mouthpieces according to recommendation or on a trail-and-error basis.